Inspirational Challenges from Maersk

Guest blog from our partner, Maersk, who are making Startup Weekend Copenhagen Virtual and Augmented Reality possible. Maersk will join us throughout the weekend. Saturday as mentors and Sunday as Jury.

Together with Maersk @maerskstartups we have identified some pains and problem, that they think we can work on together with either a VR or AR solution.

Maersk is the largest container shipping company in the world. With hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of containers moving around everyday we have equipment, people, and countries sailing with us in very extreme environments. To do this, we need to always look at how to be smarter in running our business.

First, do you wear Nike shoes? If so, they probably came to you in a Maersk container. We feed, clothe, and create business for millions of people around the world ‘simply’ by moving around boxes. The problem? Moving boxes isn’t that simple after all. It can be dangerous, it is expensive, and a lot of people are relying on us.

Second, was your home warm this morning? If so, it’s possible that your energy came from gas produced in the Danish North Sea from Maersk Energy’s operations. We know it’s dangerous work, and we know that any mistake can have a huge environmental impact. That’s why safety for people and the environment are always our biggest priority. Here are some ways you can help us be safer and more efficient in our operations:

Increasing automation and remote control of our ships, ports, rigs, and platforms increases the need to control interfaces and display of information. How can AR and VR be used as an interface to control large machines in the middle of the ocean?

Maintenance means downtime, and downtime is costly, but it’s also expensive and a safety risk to send specialists out to sea by ship or helicopter. How can we get the best eyes and brains on our assets without putting bodies out there?

We want less people exposed to dangerous places. How can AR and VR enable training both onshore and offshore, on-demand, if or when it becomes relevant?

Data is heavy. How can we use AR and VR to evolve the Maersk business knowing that connectivity offshore is not reliable but to use AR and VR we need to transfer data?

Data is complicated. How can AR and VR help us visualize data in a new way to make better decisions?

We are hoping to inspire each other with real problem and great solutions. We are not just in for the weekend, but for the long haul, so hopefully this will be the the first step for us to discover the potential for the future.